A London Story Told Through Burberry

Burberry’s latest campaign, “It’s Always Burberry Weather: Postcards from London”, marks another chapter in Daniel Lee’s ambitious vision for the heritage house. Steeped in the traditions of trench coats, gabardine innovation, and the city that first gave Burberry its soul, the project reimagines the idea of British outerwear as more than just clothing. Instead, it is memory, cinema, and character rolled into one.

By framing the collection through a cinematic lens, Lee positions Burberry not simply as a fashion brand, but as a cultural narrator. London is at once the setting and the subject. The campaign invites audiences to rediscover the city through the eyes of tourists, locals, and characters embodied by a star-studded cast, bridging past and present in a visual love letter.

The Cinematic Approach

Burberry has long embraced the interplay between film and fashion, from its classic rain-soaked advertisements to more recent digital shorts. With Postcards from London, Daniel Lee elevates that tradition into a cohesive series of films. Each vignette functions like a cinematic postcard, capturing fleeting moments that feel both familiar and surprising.

The director’s choice to root the narrative in the tourist experience allows the city to be re-imagined through wonder. The audience is not just shown iconic landmarks, but the intimacy of everyday life: a bustling chip shop, the tranquility of a cricket pitch, the drizzle of rain cutting across stone pavements.

Olivia Colman’s range of characters—humorous, heartfelt, and quintessentially British—anchor the story. Her performance encapsulates the quirks of London, balancing sophistication with humour, and proving that a Burberry coat belongs as much in a modest café as it does on the West End stage.

 

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Olivia Colman: The Human Face of Burberry

Casting Academy Award-winning actress Olivia Colman was a masterstroke. Her presence in the campaign reflects Burberry’s pursuit of authenticity and relatability without sacrificing artistry.

From her portrayal of a cricket enthusiast to a warm-hearted shopkeeper, Colman embodies the spectrum of London life. In each role, the coat becomes less of a costume and more of a second skin, adapting to her character’s personality. Burberry thus demonstrates its versatility: the trench coat does not just fit a lifestyle, it adapts to all of them.

Colman also injects humour into the campaign, a quintessentially British trait that Lee has consistently emphasized since taking the creative reins. Her comedic timing in certain sequences keeps the films grounded, reminding audiences that fashion can be playful while still profound.

A Global Cast in a Local Story

While Colman represents the campaign’s anchor, she is joined by an eclectic group of models and personalities. Amelia Gray, Liu Wen, Mona Tougaard, Lucky Blue Smith, and Tyson Beckford all contribute to framing London as a cosmopolitan hub.

Their presence reinforces Burberry’s global relevance. Each figure brings their own cultural resonance, showing that while London is the birthplace of Burberry, the brand belongs to the world. The imagery of international faces wandering through London’s rain-soaked streets underlines Burberry’s ability to translate heritage across cultures.

In an age where luxury houses must cater to international markets, Lee’s decision to pair a distinctly British narrative with a diverse cast ensures the campaign resonates from Beijing to New York.

Heritage and Craftsmanship

Burberry is never far from its roots. Established in 1856, the brand revolutionized outerwear with Thomas Burberry’s invention of gabardine—a fabric that was lightweight, weather-resistant, and breathable. It’s Always Burberry Weatherpays homage to this legacy by re-centering outerwear as the brand’s true north.

Lee introduces new silhouettes that respect Burberry’s archival codes but reinterpret them for a contemporary audience. Oversized trenches, cropped coats, and re-engineered tailoring demonstrate the technical innovation that underpins the house. The campaign makes clear that heritage does not mean static repetition, but rather a constant evolution.

The outerwear remains at once armor against the weather and a canvas for personal expression. This duality is precisely why Burberry outerwear continues to endure as a cultural symbol of London life.

Pop-Ups and Heritage Windows

Complementing the cinematic rollout is a global physical strategy. Burberry has unveiled immersive pop-ups and heritage-inspired window installations worldwide. These activations turn the campaign into an experiential moment for consumers, allowing them to step directly into Burberry’s narrative.

The pop-ups are designed as extensions of London itself—rain-slick streets, postcard motifs, and architectural nods to the city’s skyline. Customers are invited to interact with the coats, postcards, and cinematic visuals, transforming the act of shopping into a journey through London’s layered character.

This global retail activation reaffirms Burberry’s strategy of merging digital storytelling with physical experience, ensuring the brand speaks to consumers on every sensory level.

Daniel Lee’s Vision for Burberry

Since taking over as Chief Creative Officer, Daniel Lee has pushed Burberry into a new era. Where previous creative leads emphasized luxury minimalism or street-inspired aesthetics, Lee’s approach fuses tradition with contemporary relevance.

With Postcards from London, Lee expands his vision beyond the runway. His films demonstrate a holistic understanding of Burberry as a storyteller, not merely a producer of garments. The campaign’s success lies in its ability to merge fashion, cinema, and cultural commentary without losing sight of the trench coat at its core.

By rooting his storytelling in humour, humanity, and heritage, Lee positions Burberry as more than just another luxury label. It becomes a cultural icon that continues to grow in relevance.

London as a State of Mind

One of the campaign’s most poetic achievements is its ability to transform London from a physical place into a psychological landscape. Through its imagery, London becomes not just a destination but an idea—resilience in rain, wit in adversity, elegance in chaos.

The narrative asks the viewer to consider: what does it mean to embody London? For Burberry, it means to embrace heritage while continually evolving. It means to wear a coat not only for the drizzle but for the spirit it symbolizes.

This idea of “London as a state of mind” allows the campaign to transcend geography. Either in Tokyo, Paris, or Los Angeles, one can step into a Burberry coat and, for a moment, embody the essence of London.

The Role of Weather in Burberry Mythology

Weather has always been central to Burberry’s identity. The trench coat was originally designed for functionality in unpredictable British conditions. By explicitly naming the campaign It’s Always Burberry Weather, Lee leans into this meteorological heritage.

The phrase suggests that no matter the season or location, Burberry outerwear is perpetually relevant. Rain, wind, or shine—the coat adapts. But beyond practicality, the campaign elevates weather into metaphor. Life itself is weather: unpredictable, dramatic, yet always manageable when equipped with the right armour. Burberry becomes a companion through all climates, literal and figurative.

Craft, Character, and Continuity

Every element of the campaign echoes three pillars: craft, character, and continuity.

• Craft: Evident in the tailoring, fabric innovation, and construction of the outerwear.

• Character: Shown through Olivia Colman’s multifaceted portrayals and the global cast.

• Continuity: Rooted in Burberry’s 165-year heritage and its ongoing reinvention.

Together, these values re-affirm Burberry as a house synonymous with both timelessness and progression. Fashion trends may shift, but Burberry’s trench remains eternal.

Culture

Beyond fashion, the campaign speaks to broader themes of identity and belonging. In an era where global brands are often accused of homogeneity, Burberry reasserts its cultural specificity. It does not erase its Britishness to appeal internationally; rather, it celebrates it and allows others to participate.

This emphasis on place and character resonates with audiences seeking authenticity. Just as postcards once served as tangible connections to a city, Burberry’s films act as cultural souvenirs—glimpses of London life shared across the world.

Reception and Anticipation

The campaign has already sparked conversation across fashion media and social platforms. Critics have praised Colman’s performances and the poetic framing of London as a protagonist. Consumers, meanwhile, are drawn to the tactile connection between film and outerwear.

The retail activations are expected to drive significant engagement, particularly in Asia and North America, where Burberry continues to expand its footprint. With its blend of cinema, heritage, and humor, It’s Always Burberry Weather positions the brand at the forefront of storytelling-driven luxury.

Impression

Postcards from London is more than a marketing campaign—it is Burberry’s manifesto for a new era. By weaving heritage with cinematic imagination, Daniel Lee redefines what it means for a fashion house to tell stories.

Olivia Colman, the global cast, and the immersive retail experiences together reaffirm Burberry’s status as an enduring cultural icon. For 165 years, Burberry has crafted garments that protect against the weather. With this campaign, it also crafts narratives that protect against forgetting—reminding us of the humour, humanity, and heritage at the heart of London.

In short, it’s always Burberry weather—not just in London, but wherever the spirit of the city finds a home.

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